A Potter Wedding
by penspend
Summary: The HarryGinny wedding we've all been waiting for. ONESHOT, R&R please!


_**A Potter Wedding**_

Ginny awoke to the sound of Harry's breathing. She was dreaming about… pigeons. A pigeon was on a branch on a tree outside her window in the dream, and it made a strange sound. Ginny asked the pigeon what it meant, but the pigeon flew away. Then she opened her eyes and discovered that the noise was Harry.

Somehow in the night, her hair had happened to fall right under his nose, and probably without realizing it in his sleep, Harry was breathing deeply to absorb the scent of her hair. Ginny surpressed a giggle and watched her fiancee sleep. Oh. Fiancee.

She was getting married today.

There were people clomping around downstairs, from what she could hear, and the ghoul was making a racket in the attic as usual. The sound of chairs magically setting up from outside and the warm smell of bread baking also caught her attention.

Harry stirred suddenly and opened his eyes.

"Good morning," he said, carefully lifting the lock of Ginny's hair from his face and placing it behind her shoulder.

"You put that there, didn't you?" she asked.

"I couldn't sleep," he admitted.

There was a long pause.

"Guess what?" Ginny asked him, breaking the silence.

"What?"

"Today I get to be a Potter," she said.

"But today you don't get to be a Weasley," he reminded her.

Pause.

"You're getting married today. To me," he said in a manner that made her think of a soldier going on a death mission.

"Yes. And I don't take back anything that I've done to get me this far."

"What?"

"Nevermind, just give me some time in the bathroom."

* * *

Three hours, two coats of antiperspirant, three rehearsals of vows, five muffins, two dress fittings, and fifty hugs and kisses later, Ginny stood in the doorway of her own house, as nervous as she'd ever been in her life. A small part of her questions why she was nervous at all, but she figured it was just a wedding thing.

She was in the spot where she could see Harry but he couldn't see her. He looked as uncomfortable and as happy as she'd ever seen him, which were two odd combnations to see at the same time. The result was a sort of beaming, pained expression. Ron's ears had remained a constant pink througout the morning, and Hermione looked about ready to burst.

Her father came in to give her away, and she wanted to cry at the sight of his face. He looked old and tired, as vulnerable as she'd ever seen him.

Ginny enveloped her protector in a small hug, and he had the look on his face like he was about to give an important speech. Ginny listened as his voice filled the room.

"Ginny," her father said, "I wouldn't let you go off with Harry if he hadn't proved to me he loved you a thousand times over. But this is different. Ginny, Harry wants to spend the rest of his life with you, have children with you, and grow old with you. I hope you realize what you'll be both gaining and giving up by walking down this aisle today.

"I can remember my own wedding, and I know that everything would have been different if I had made a different choice. You can choose your future, and don't let Harry or anyone else choose it for you."

"Dad," Ginny, already having an answer, "I love Harry. I made my choice by saying yes when he asked me to marry him. I had all this time to back out. Dad, I want Harry to love me for the rest of my life, and the wonderful thing is that I know he will."

Her father hugged her again, and they stepped out the door into the bright sunlight as the first notes of the Wedding March warbled out of the organ.

* * *

If you had been Harry at that moment, you probably would have been thinking this:

Merlin, she's pretty today. The sun lights up her freckles like a bazillion little stars all over her face. She's practically radiating happiness. I'm just radiating sweat. Was it always so warm out here? But this is it, Harry: you're marrying her. She'll be yours forever.

If you had been Ginny at that moment, you probably would have been thinking this:

Harry looks so nervous. I know I'm smiling too much, but I just can't help it. This dress is itchy; I knew I should have gone with the silk. I'm getting married today! I'll be Harry's wfe! Merlin, he looks good in that tux..

Ginny walked carefully down the white carpet set out for the wedding, treading lightly in her white heels. It seemed like a lifetime, but that little white carpet made Ginny feel both happy and sad. Each step felt like a million miles into another lifetime, and she knew she couldn't turn back now. But the man she loved most was waiting for her at the end of that carpet, and every particle of her mind was focused on him and him alone.

Finally she reached the altar, and she felt her father's reassuring kiss on her cheek. He stepped back and walked over to where Ginny's mother sat in happy-tears.

She took hold of Harry's hand, noticing that his palms were sweaty. She knew that hers were too and tried to make him relax a little.

"We gather here today for the unity of this man and this woman…" the familiar tufty-haired wizard said in hids long drawl, but paused to smile at the couple before him, "… in holy matromony."

He went on about unity and goodness and truth, and Ginny knew that Harry wasn't really listening. Well, neither was she, but it was amusing when she could tell he wasn't.

Soon the ring-bearer (Teddy Lupin, the bouncing eight-year-old Metamorphagus) handed them the rings, and they were exchanged accordingly. Ginny thought she saw a peculiar glint in Harry's eye when he said the "With this ring, I thee wed" that wasn't there before. He slid it gently onto her finger, and Ginny heard a happy-sob escape from Hermione. Minutes passed, then:

"… you may kiss the bride."

Harry put his arms around his new wife and kissed her softly. The crowd erupted into applause that lasted several minutes, and the organ player played whatever tune he could think of. The Potters walked down the aisle for the last time, holding hands and laughing as the people in the lawn chairs filed out one by one behind them.

* * *

Three hours, four slices of cake, seven dances, two bathroom breaks, 40 hugs, 42 goodbyes, and one discussion about public display of affection from Ron later, Ginny sat in the same armchair she had sat in as a child, sipping her third glass of champagne. She didn't know how many would get her drunk, but she knew that three couldn't hurt much… could it?

Harry sat down beside her. He had taken off his tuxedo jacket and tie earlier, and he smelled of cake and aftershave and… what was that, alcohol? She snuggled into him and wiped a bit of icing off his cheek and licked it off her finger. He smiled.

Ron and Hermione came in, obviously somewhat drunk, laughing and kissing. They didn't seem to notice the two people in the armchair, but made their way up the stairs. Harry heard a loud thunk on the floor above them and tried not to think about what that might have been.

Ginny unbuttoned Harry's shirt and listened to his heartbeat. That small pounding that she was sure had stopped forever on the morning he defeated Voldemort… Ginny realized she was crying. It's the drink talking, she told herself defiantly, afraid to admit what she was really feeling.

"Ginny, what's wrong?" Harry asked her, wiping the tears off her cheeks with his thumb.

"I… I don't know, Harry," she said in a choked voice. "I- I just-"

"You don't know what to do."

She nodded at his words, understanding.

"Ginny, I love you, and I made the promise today that I always, always will. We both don't know what's happening, or what's going to happen. But I think I have something to cheer you up."

He stood up and grabbed Ginny's arm. She stood up with him, and, rubbing her eyes, and saw him turn and Apparate to an unknown destination, feeling the tug of his arm dragging her along with him.

Opening her eyes after that feeling of compression went away, Ginny found herself in a strange room. A fireplace was lit, and rugs and furniture were arranged neatly around the small but cozy room.

"Is this…?" Ginny whispered

"Yes, Gin, this could be our house. We can live here, if you'd like, and raise a family, and we'd be close to your parents, and we can-"

"Harry?" Ginny interrupted.

"Yes?"

"Come here."

He did so, and Ginny pressed her lips to his, suddenly knowing exactly what to do.

* * *

**A/N:** I loved writing this. I had huge gaps in between the getting-ready and through the ceremony, because I am obviously not married and don't really have a personal view of those two things. However, I tried my best to capture the feel of a wedding through the characters' eyes. Hope you enjoyed it! 


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